Hand sanitizing packet and methods

ABSTRACT

Described are methods and apparatus for promoting and attaining effective hand hygiene based on the employment of a class of packaging which provides timely access to and convenient use of hand sanitizing fluids for hand rubbing. A specific and novel type of package representative of this class found to be particularly useful in facilitating this method is a small, flat, disposable, twin chambered, multi-dose, self-sealing polymer packet designed to be pocket carried by the user. Through simple and direct finger manipulation a measured dose of hand sanitizing fluid is drawn on to the hand in a controlled and wasteless manner from a metering chamber opened for dispersal through a tear in the packet wall. The self-sealing packet reserves and preserves the remaining fluid for future uses and permits the packet to be immediately returned to a pocket without any closure manipulation. Rubbing the hands to distribute the fluid achieves an effective degree of hand sanitation by substantially reducing the presence of hand-borne pathogens. Distribution of the packets is encouraged by the use of lottery and gaming techniques that heighten the opportunity of using a hand sanitizing fluid for proper hand hygiene.

This is a Divisional application of parent application Ser. No.10/602,448 filed Jun. 24, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to hand sanitation apparatus and methodsmaking the dispensing of a hand sanitizing fluid both timely andconvenient. More particularly the present invention relates to the easyuse features of small disposable multidose packets inconspicuouslycarried by a user and methods promoting their at hand availability whichcontribute to their timely use in reducing hand-borne pathogens.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well understood that microbiological pathogens on the handstransferred to other body parts such as the mouth, nose and eyes are theprimary cause of infectious disease in humans. The actual scope of thedamage caused by infections resulting from hand-borne pathogens isgenerally less known. Fully eighty percent of all infections rangingfrom the usually benign cold and more debilitating flu to the trulyhorrific deadly Ebola, and everything in between, are transmitted bytouch. The average American will contract two to four cold or fluinfections in a typical year, experience four to six significantgastrointestinal disruptions during the same period. Colds alone accountfor an annual loss of 300 million person days of work and schoolannually; flus cost Americans $10 billion a year in lost wages andmedical expenditures in addition to the 20,000 to 50,000 deaths eachyear from complications of influenza infections. Additionally, over andabove the readily recognized cause and effect of the rapid onset ofmiseries characterized by the likes of a Norwalk virus attack, there isa growing body of evidence and in some cases solid proof that many majorchronic diseases like gastric ulcers, stomach cancer, heart disease,cervical cancer, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), and Alzheimer's, mostcharacterized by a much delayed onset, are infectious germ-baseddiseases that follow the same hand-based route into the body as thecommon cold rhinovirus. The scope of this generally unrecognized hiddenplague associated with infectious diseases has been discussed for yearswithin the medical community and more recently has found its way intothe popular press, Atlantic Monthly, February 1999, (“A New GermTheory”). It is sobering to realize the risk of a hand-borne infectionis not just the occasional case of the sniffles but possibly the sourceof a life-long debilitating disease, a crippling condition leading to anearly death, or most terrible, a tragic living death strangling all hopeand affection. For years the famed Mayo Clinic has used the followingblunt slogan in an attempt to drive home a point about the need foreffective hand hygiene to combat serious diseases: “The ten worstsources of contagion are our fingers.”

Each year more than 2 million hospital acquired (nosocomial) infectionsoccur in the United States, costing some $4.5 billion in additionalcharges. The Centers for Disease Control estimates more than one-thirdof healthcare associated infections can be prevented through betterinfection control programs of which hand cleaning is the centerpiece forreducing the spread of infection. Hospitals are only one of manyorganizations burdened with hand-borne disease costs. A recent schoolstudy found that classrooms that made hand sanitizing fluid dispenserssimply available for use showed a 20% reduction in student absenteeismdue to illness as well as a 10% decrease in teacher absenteeism. Severalrecent articles provide an understanding of the current level oftechnology available for hand sanitation and further describe thesignificant limiting problems the present art faces.

In March 2001 an American Journal of Nursing article (“Impact Rate ofCompliance with Hand Antisepsis . . . ”) stated that 80,000 hospitaldeaths occur each year as a result of nosocomial infections contractedduring their stays. Further, that “it's common knowledge that the handsof heath care workers can carry disease-causing organisms from onepatient to another and that hand antisepsis before and after each patentcontact is crucial to the prevention and control of nosocomialinfection.” The reasons most often cited by hospital staff for failingto clean their hands adequately are inconvenience and no time. Given thehectic and demanding nature of their workload these are not excuses butsimply statements of reality. That convenience and time are criticalfactors in maintaining hand sanitation is underscored by the finding inthis study that placing hand sanitizing fluid dispensers “in thehallways outside patient rooms were nearly 30 times more likely to beused than dispensers mounted anywhere inside the rooms.” Yet the mostdisturbing finding of this study was that full compliance with handantisepsis guidelines was an unrealistic goal. That while handsanitizing fluids took less time than washing and the placement ofnumerous dispensers bottles made matters somewhat more convenient, evenwith the heightened attention impact of the study itself (the Hawthorneeffect), compliance did not achieve more than 60% at any time during thestudy. And it is well understood that over time, after the study is doneand gone, a drift back to much lower compliance rates is inevitable, thedispenser bottle becomes just one more thing in the room, like soap atthe sink, rarely used and only when time and convenience allowed.

In March 2002 an article in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology(“Promotion of Hand Hygiene: Magic, Hype, or Scientific Challenge? ”)restates the conditions for promoting adequate hand hygiene. “Amongenabling factors, engineering control must be considered for thesuccessful promotion of hand hygiene. In particular, it involves makinghand hygiene easy, convenient, and possible in a timely fashion.”Another observation made is that the higher rates of compliance seen instudies can only be sustained when some form of cost-effective,non-intrusive monitoring is invented. “My personal opinion is thatobtaining a sustained and never-ending Hawthorne effect associated withimproved compliance with hand hygiene and decreased infection andcross-transmission rates should be the dream of every hospitalepidemiologist. Let's find a cost-effective way to induce it.” This needremains yet unfilled in the marketplace and published art.

In July 2000 another article in Infection Control and HospitalEpidemiology (“Using Alcohol for Hand Antisepsis—Dispelling Old Myths”)the qualities and values of alcohol-based hand antiseptics aredescribed. The author points out the cost benefits of hand sanitizingfluids in hospitals. “ . . . administrators should consider that modestincrease in acquisition costs for alcohol-based hand hygiene productsare tiny in comparison to excess hospital costs associated withnosocomial infections. If increased use of an alcohol gel or rinsereduces the number of serious nosocomial infections by a few a year, thecost savings from prevented infections should more than offsetincremental costs of using alcohol-based preparations.” These offsetcosts are those the hospital would charge as operational costs. Notconsidered are the much more substantial costs of the damage awardsissuing from pain and suffering lawsuits won by patient and theirattorneys for the hospital's failure to follow best practice protocols.

In March 2001 an article in Emerging Infectious Diseases (“AntisepticTechnology: Access, Affordability, and Acceptance”) further reinforcesthe findings that time and convenience are critical compliance factors.Detailed costs of implementing a hand hygiene program are also provided.

A final article in the October 2000 issue of Family Medicine(“Alcohol-free Instant Hand Sanitizer Reduces Elementary School IllnessAbsenteeism”) reports a remarkable reduction in absenteeism when handsanitizers were introduced in public school classrooms. Results showedstudents using hand sanitizing fluids “were found to have 41.9% fewerillness-related absence days, representing a 28.9% and a 49.7% drop ingastrointestinal- and respiratory-related illness, respectively . . .Conclusion: Daily use of the instant hand sanitizer was associated withsignificantly lower rates of illness-related absenteeism.” In this studythe close monitoring and continual instruction of the test group byteachers largely abrogated the issues of time and convenience.Nevertheless, it clearly indicates the significant impact consistent andrigorous hand sanitation can have in schools and the implications forparallel benefits at all levels of society are obvious. As the reportspoint out in describing the interlinking cost of disease “Even if onedoesn't have school-age children, it is necessary to understand theimportance and benefits of good hand hygiene, not only in clinicalpractice but also in the greater community. Vital tax dollars will besaved on expenses for remedial student services and employee work timeby this simple and effective way to decrease illness-relatedabsenteeism.”

That improved hand hygiene can be achieved by using various handsanitizing fluids is beyond question, the problems preventing this knowntechnique for achieving a high degree of use (compliance) are equallyunderstood as being time required and convenience use. These same twinfactors are true in the vastly greater pool of the general population,with the addition of a third very important factor—easy availability toachieve timely use, in a word, timeliness. In hospitals and schoolsavailability is defined in terms of convenience and it has beenrepeatedly shown the placement of bottle dispensers in rooms,particularly by a door, leads to statistically significantlyimprovements in hand hygiene and related disease. It has also been shownthat recidivism is immediate when compliance monitoring stops. For thegeneral population an approach emphasizing wide distribution, readyaccess, convenient use, inconspicuous, omnipresence, and timelyapplications are key factors. The state of the art as defined by themarketplace and patent literature does not provide either methods ordevices that adequately respond to these requirements. Dispensers hungon walls or set on counters have proven only marginally effective ineven the controlled environments of hospitals and schools; in publictheir effectiveness rating falls to near zero. The answer lies indevelopment of an inexpensive, disposable, multi-dose, small,convenient, self-sealing, ubiquitous, inconspicuous, and pocket carriedpacket dispenser of hand sanitizing fluid that can be accessed in atimely manner and reused several times during the course of a day'snormal activities. Successful methods promoting the wide distribution ofsuch packets would contribute to eventual habitual use.

There are only two types of pocket carried hand sanitizing fluiddispensers known to be currently offered in the marketplace. The firsttype is represented by a small bottle containing a 62% ethyl alcoholantimicrobial agent manufactured by Gojo Industries(http://66.181.86.144/cgi-bin/gojo/). It is a 15-milliliter translucentthermoformed bottle of hand sanitizing fluid with a snap cap closurewith overall dimensions of 5×2.5×1.5 centimeters and some 18 cubiccentimeters in volume. Dispersement is accomplished by popping open thesnap lid, squeezing or shaking out several drops into an open hand,recapping the bottle, and returning it to a pocket. This dispenser hasbeen in the marketplace since at least 1997. A second dispenser typethat irregularly appears in the marketplace is a single-use metal foilpacket containing 1.5-millilters of 60% ethyl alcohol with variousherbal extracts and sometimes various emollients. Lafayette Promotional(http://216.223.163.4/products/hand_gel_packets.htm) is one of severaldistributors of this packet form. The foil packet typically measures5×7.5×0.3 centimeters with a volume of about 2 cubic centimeters.Dispensing is accomplished by tearing the foil at a corner edge, pouringor squeezing out the fluid, and discarding the empty foil package. Bothtypes of products appears to have achieved a degree of success in themarketplace as evidenced by their continued presence on the web, of thetwo the bottle is overwhelming more commonly found. There are literallydozens of other suppliers offering the same types of dispensers.

Why these two packaging styles have not met with more success in apotentially huge market has likely more to do with fashion, habit andconvenient access than a failure of the public to appreciate the healththreat poised by hand-borne pathogens. Many people understand andappreciate the need for clean hands but just fall far short in practice.It has proven so inconvenient to perform the frequent and necessarilytimely hand rubbings that provide an effective level of protection thatthe habit has simply never become established in any significantpopulation group. In the case of the bottle its size, particularly itsthickness, creates such a noticeable bulge in a shirt or pants pocketthat it makes a negative fashion statement only equaled by pocketprotectors in high school; further, the highly visible process involvedin handling the bottle during the act of dispensing definitely conveysan unfortunate phobic impression about the user. Despite the efforts ofhundreds of school boards across the nation not even elementary kidscould be persuaded to carry and regularly use these small bottles; itjust isn't fashionable and certainly less than cool. In the case of thesingle-use foil packet the need to carry several, typically four toseven a day, plus the need to discard an empty packet each time,severely works against public acceptance. Further, the need for theantimicrobial material to be necessarily runny in order to be easilyextracted from the opaque foil packet leads to loss of the material fromthe hand through accidental runoff, and increasing the viscosity leadsto significant difficulty in emptying the foil packet in a expedientmanner without an unfortunate degree of very unwelcome messiness. Theseand other shortcomings have left the only two known types of carriedhand sanitizing fluid dispenser products with a somewhat limited publicappeal. Based on an extensive review of commercial literature no otherpackaging techniques are known to be in the marketplace today nor couldthere be found any suggestion of a more effective alternative solutionto the small bottle or the single-use foil packet approaches. There is adistinct and unmet need for a middle product, a hand sanitizing fluiddispenser that functionally fits between these current marketplaceofferings. A product adequate for a full day's needs of four to sevenrubbings, that is without bulk, operates in a self-sealing manner, canbe accessed easily, permits discrete usage, and is sufficientlyaffordable to be omnipresent and disposable.

Other prior art as described in the patent literature offers fewrelevant disclosures and what could be found is discussed as follows.The pertinent patent art can be divided into four subject areas: Packetswith Rupturable Barriers (6), Single-Use Packets (2), Tortuous PathSeals (4), and various Sealing Valves (6). There have been numerousprior art devices for dispensing liquids, but out of the entire priorart only one (Kocker U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,375) deals specifically with adisposable hand sanitizing fluid dispensing packet and an associatedhand hygiene method based on the single-use packet. Kocker disclosed apacket that will be more fully described below in Single-Use Packetscategory. The other cited patents herein deal almost exclusively withtechniques for opening, dispersing and sealing various packetconfigurations. As portions of the present invention use in uniqueconfigurations many of these features, in addition to a newly discovereddeforming self-sealing choke valve and other original features, it isuseful to review the prior art so novel differentiation and inventivefashions can be clearly delineated.

In the first group (Packets with Rupturable Barriers) there are sixpatents that are relevant in some fashion.

Miller U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,789 disclosed a fluid containing packet witha weakly sealed and thus breakable area in the peripheral seal whichforms an opening when pressure is applied via a flexible wall to thecontained fluid.

Strenger U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,472 disclosed a rupturable seal that whenburst by fluid pressure flowed into a diverter area to meter out acontrolled flow.

Farmer U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,556 disclosed a single portion packet withtwo seams that peel apart under pressure forming a discharge opening.

Lane U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,744 disclosed a single-use with one or morepressure rupturable frangible seals and controlled dispersing chamber.

Farmer U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,760 disclosed a single-use dual chamberdispenser with rupturable membranes to control the discharge of thefluid.

May U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,069 disclosed a tube dispenser with a rupturabledividing membrane with weakening folds and creases.

The present invention does not employ any rupturable membrane seals nordo any of the above disclose or suggest their usage in a hand sanitizingmethod. Two patents in the Single-Use group are as follows:

Kocher U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,375 disclosed a single-use, single chamberdisposable packet containing a hand sanitizing fluid that is eitherdispersed as a spray when a seal bursts under pressure or a tear is madein the packet. A method using single-use packets for hand sanitation isclaimed.

Sokolsky U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,916 disclosed a single-serving condimentpouch employing a trapezoidal shaped configuration and opening todispense a flat ribbon of food condiment.

Neither of the two single-use packets disclose or suggest the multidose,seal-sealing valve packets, or methods using same of the presentinvention. Four patents in the Tortuous Path Seal group are as follows:

Kaplan U.S. Pat. No. 2,707,581 disclosed a flexible dispensing containerwith a tortuous passage serving as a spring check valve which allowsfluid to flow when placed under pressure.

Jamison U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,245 discloses a flow channel with aserpentine configuration and a spout tear for dispersement.

Billman U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,646 disclosed a serpentine dischargeconfiguration protected from being deformed by wall indentations of thecontainer.

Zakensberg U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,609 disclosed a tortuous path valve ofthermoformed ridges and recesses to form a positive seal for the pack.

None of the four Tortuous Path group disclosed or suggested a deformingself-sealing valve/choke of the present invention nor do they discloseor suggest any hand sanitizing method. The final group, Sealing Valves,with six patents are as follows:

Volckening U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,121 disclosed a flexible package with adischarge outlet passage of resilient material capable of self-closingfollowing a pressure induced passage of fluid.

Brown U.S. Pat. No. 3,278,085 disclosed a liquid squeeze tube with afold over flap seal for containing the remaining fluid following a use.

Hellstrom U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,376 disclosed a package container with asnap open/close valve of tensed flexible sheets to control flow.

Haggar U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,912 disclosed a dispensing package using aconvex/concave pop valve to control a flow channel and thus regulatemultiple doses.

Chan U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,224 disclosed a self-closing liquid dispensingpackage with a self-sealing flat channel valve that relies on pre-tensedresilience to resealing following pressure induced dispersement from athermoformed reservoir.

Farmer U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,468 disclosed use of a spaced pair ofpre-tensed transverse creasing folds as a self-sealing valve fordispersing liquid soaps by a stripping action.

None of the six Sealing Valves disclosed or suggested a deformingself-sealing choke valve of the present invention nor do they indicateany use in a hand sanitizing method. No prior art in either theliterature or patents could be found which addressed the use of lotteryor gaming promotion techniques associated with hand sanitizing fluiddispensers and packaging thereof.

The above discussed current practices and known forms of dispenserstogether with various packaging types, all were found deficient inseveral respects. Significantly, none of the above references taken inpart or as a whole presents a convenient, timely, and effective way offacilitating the use of hand sanitizing fluids achievable by means of asmall, flat, clear, disposable, twin chambered, multi-dose,self-sealing, polymer, pocket carried packet. None overcome therecognized problems of timeliness, convenience, and accessibilityprovided by the advancement to the art the present inventioncontributes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention recognizes and addresses the foregoingdisadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art. Accordingly it is aprimary intent of the present invention to provide a distinctly novelproduct concept (packet) and equally important innovative method usingthe packaging concept to overcome the problems of time, convenience, andtimeliness which have previously curtailed the effective use of handsanitizing fluids by the general population. Further, a method isdisclosed whereby distribution of packets is encouraged by the use oflottery and gaming techniques which heighten the opportunity of using ahand sanitizing fluid for hand hygiene simply because the packet wasobtained and retained at hand in hopes of it being a winner. And hencethe AtHand™ brand name and trademark identifying both the packetpackaging and associated methods. A key element in making such amulti-dose packet a reality was the discovery that a simple arrangementsof design components could constitute a seal-forming choke valve and anassociated weakly adhesive film valve made from existing packetmaterials could retain and preserve highly volatile hand sanitizingfluids over a day's time despite many openings for usage. All handsanitizing fluids have one important attribute in addition to killingpathogens, they evaporate very quickly from the hands. Understandableenough given they are typically some two-thirds alcohol. In less than aminute, usually under thirty seconds, the hands are dry, the liquidevaporated and gone. How could a cheap, simple packet retain such avaporous fluid over hours or even days after being opened? Bottles usedfor such purposes have substantial caps, tight seals, and thick walledbodies to preserve their fluids, how could a necessarily cheap, flimsypacket accomplish such protection once opened? By trial and errorinvestigation, pursued following a chance observation that a film ofreagent grade alcohol trapped between two loose sheets of plastic filmdid not evaporate quickly, it was discovered that a packet could becreated that employed a dispensing means that so limited evaporation theloss became inconsequential even over days of time. Later discovery ofthe deforming choke valve provided a necessary element of overallrobustness to the fluid control. These discoveries held up even in therough handling commonly found in pants pockets, even at the elevatedtemperatures generated by body heat. This discovery that highly volatilehand sanitizing fluids could be packaged in a new and novel manneropened the door to the present invention.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel andsignificant advancement in the art of hand sanitizing dispensingapparatus in the form of a packet which overcomes the problems of time,convenience, and timeliness by being small, flat, multi-dose,self-sealing, inconspicuous, clean dispensing and pocket carried.

Another object of the present invention is a method promoting andattaining hand sanitation by using carried multi-dose packets of handsanitizing fluid to reduce hand-borne pathogens and subsequently lowerthe rate of infectious diseases in the general population.

Another object of the present invention is a method to encourage thedistribution and retention of hand sanitizing fluid packets through useof lottery and gaming techniques that heighten the opportunity thepackets will be available for use in a timely act of hand hygienemaintenance.

Another object of the present invention is the use of transparentmaterial for the packet body to assist in fluid manipulation, dosemeasurement, color based selection, quantity/quality determination, andother visually based judgements and actions made possible by a clearbody packet material.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a very simplebut effective engineered valve or choke arrangement to govern thepassage of fluid within the packet and act as a self-sealing closure toretain and preserve remaining fluid for future dispersement.

A final object of the present invention is the use of a packet strippingchamber that deploys a measured dose of hand sanitizing fluid directlyinto a cupped hand and finger arrangement that substantially eliminatesmess and waste while significantly improving convenient usage.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in conjunction whereappropriate with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by wayof illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention. Thedrawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplaryembodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects andfeatures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a frontal view of the preferred embodiment of the dual chamberpacket, with the dividing barrier a defining a gap passage that allowsfluidic communication between the two chambers, in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a frontal view with examples of various markings on the bodyof the packet.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views where the dividing barrier elements are at anangle (3) or offset at an angle (4).

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views showing first and secondchambers at rest (5) and pressure applied to first chamber causingmovement of fluid into second chamber for dispensing (6).

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views showing the first chamberpressure the closing choke valve by deforming the passage (7) andopening choke valve by applying a tension pull at second chamber whichopens the choke valve allowing fluid to pass into second chamber (8).

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts for all the variousfigures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the invention will be described in connection with illustrations,descriptions, and examples of preferred embodiments, it will beunderstood these are not intended to limit the present invention only tothese embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention is to coverall structural and/or functional alternatives as defined by the appendedclaims.

The term “hand sanitizing fluid” as used herein refers to anynon-irritating, antimicrobial-containing composition in the form of afluid, gel, spray, foam, cream, lotion, or tincture preparation designedfor frequent use that can reduce the number of transient microorganisms,specifically pathogens, when applied to and dispersed over the hands andother skin areas. Such preparations have a broad antimicrobial spectrum,are fast-acting, and are often persistent. Representative of such agentsare alcohols (e.g. ethyl and isopropyl), iodines (e.g. hexachlorophene),bisbiquanides (e.g. Chlorhexidine digluconate), and quaternary ammoniumsalts (e.g. Benzalkonium chloride) which are formulated singularly or incombination. This term is specifically intended to include all suchpreparations, known and unknown, that are capable of achieving asubstantial reduction of skin residing pathogens when applied to thehands or other areas of human skin where such pathogens are found.

The term “flexible polymeric material” as used herein refers to anypolymer film capable of being constructed into a packet for containmentand preservation of a hand sanitizing fluid. Such polymer films as mayprove useful for this purpose have sufficient flexibility to yield tofinger pressure, are sufficiently durable to withstand reasonablehydraulic pressure created by fingers, have good crack and punctureresistance, have very good chemical resistance and low gas permeability,and are capable of being sealed to self or other materials.Representative of such films are polypropylene and polyethylene.Numerous grades, gauges, textures, combined in many laminationvarieties, formed by many techniques, with numerous additives, and aneven greater numbers of formulations provide a wide array of polymericmaterials to select from, singularly or in combination, to satisfy thespecific chemical, physical, and aesthetic attributes required for aspecific packet's construction, its content's formulation, and theprecise function for which it is intended. All known and yet unknownpolymer materials functionally suited for use in constructing multi-dosepackets containing hand sanitizing fluids are envisioned by use of thisterm.

The present invention is best understood by several examples thatillustrates and describes how various aspects of each apparatus andmethod functions. Example 1 details the hand sanitizing fluid packet bymeans of illustrations (FIGS. 1-8) and operational descriptions. Example2 describes a method using hand sanitizing fluid packets to achieve andmaintain an effective level of personal hand hygiene. Example 3describes a method encouraging the distribution and retention of handsanitizing fluid packets for hand sanitation by keeping them handy byvarious lottery and gaming techniques.

EXAMPLE 1

Multi-Dose Hand Sanitizing Fluid Packet

The preferred embodiment of the packet generally designated by thereference number 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 has a peripheral seal 20 joiningfront and back walls 23 of flexible polymeric material (2-milpolypropylene) to enclose and contain a hand sanitizing fluid 11 (PurellHand Sanitizer, 62% alcohol) with two chambers, a first chamber 12 and asecond chamber 14. Overall dimensions in this packet embodiment are9×3×0.5 centimeters with first chamber 6-centimeters long and secondchamber 2.5-centimeters long and the balance of the length in sealededges 20 and margins 18. Creating and dividing these adjacent chambersis a partitioning means in the form of a two-part barrier 17 a and 17 bcreated by sealing the front and back walls 23 in a like manner used tocreate the peripheral seal 20. Creation of the seals can be achieved bya number of means well known in the art, herein the common techniqueinvolving heat and pressure are used to create the seals. The twodistinct chambers, 12 and 14, are in fluidic communication in that thecontained fluid 11 can be transferred between the two chambers, 12 and14, by a relatively small constrictive gap (about 1-millimeter or less)15 in the thin barrier seal (about 1-millimeter wide) 17 a/b. Thisinter-chamber fluidic transfer is made possible by appropriate placedstresses such as pressure applied to the pocket walls 23 of flexiblepolymeric material by fingers. In FIGS. 5 and 6 the filled reservoir ofthe first chamber 12 is shown in a cross section view, FIG. 6 showsfingers 41 and 42 applying pressure and filling second chamber 14 withfluid 11.

Typically, the first chamber 12 acts as a reservoir of hand sanitizingfluid (typically 3-millimeters, but ranging 2-8 millimeters) thatconstitutes plural doses of fluid 11 to be dispersed over perhaps aday's time. By applying pressure to the first chamber 12, fluid 11 ispushed through the barrier gap 15 into the second chamber 14. The amountof fluid 11 transferred from the first 12 to second chamber 11 is easilycontrolled by the amount of pressure applied and gauged by eye given thetransparency of at least part of one wall 23 of the packet 10. When apredetermined amount of fluid 11 has been transferred, typically 1-2milliliters, into the second chamber 14, a tear 22 is created by fingersin the second chamber 14 walls 23 starting at a manufactured notch 19 inthe margin 18 beyond the peripheral seal 20 at the top of the secondchamber 14. This tear 22 forms the dispersal exit for the measured doseof fluid 11 from the second chamber 14. Dispersal is accomplished byholding the packet by the fingers of one hand in the area of the firstchamber 12, placing thumb and forefinger of the other hand on oppositewalls 23 of the second chamber 14 at the barrier seal 17 a/b, andstripping the second chamber's 14 measured dose of fluid 11 toward andout of the exit tear 22 into the cupped hand created by the fingerarrangement. The second chamber 14 has performed the role of firstholding the measured fluid 11 transfer from the reservoir first chamber12 and then acted as a dispensing structures that cleanly, accurately,and with little or no waste deposited the dose into a hand for rubbingand reduction of hand-borne pathogens. A third role for the secondchamber 14 is now begun; the interior surfaces of the second chamber's14 wall 23 still retain a thin film of fluid 11. This thin residueweakly holds the walls 23 together, partially by adhesion and somewhatby the dynamics that govern fluidic films. By holding the walls 23together a minute surface area is exposed to evaporation in the area ofthe tear 22, consequently there is little lose of fluid 11 at thefilm/atmosphere interface and it slows even more as the interface edgesurface does retreat between the walls to a point where the retreatstops, a point where the atmospheric boundary becomes so saturated withevaporated fluid 11 and lack of atmospheric circulation that for allpurposes a seal is formed preventing further loss. The second chamber 14has become a dispensing valve means, a form of film seal, specificallydesigned to control loss of fluid 11 from the packet 10 by retardingevaporation and leakage.

This dispensing valve works in conjunction with a second fluid controlmeans created by the barrier 17 a/b and the gap 15 therein. The barrier17 a/b and gap 15 structures illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 showalternatives positions of the two-part barrier 17 a and 17 b. In FIG. 3the barrier parts 17 a/b are placed so as to form a conjunctive angle toone another as they bear on forming the gap 15. This is in contrast tothe aligned relationship of the barrier 17 a/b shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.In FIG. 4 the barrier 17 a/b shows as offset, asymmetrical position ofthe gap 15. All these barrier gap 15 positions and barrier 17 a/balignments produced comparable results.

In FIG. 2 marks 32 and 33 on the body of the packet 10 are shown asprinting on the exterior surface of a packet 10 wall 23. Such marks candenote a wide range of meanings and values, including such usefulcommunications as addresses, advertising messages, call numbers, codes,company names, event commemorations, event dates, decorative art,facility names, formulas, fortune predictions, gaming symbols,instructions, internet addresses, logos, lottery numbers, lotterysymbols, meaningful images, notations, promotional slogans, rafflenumbers, schedules, trademarks, and other meaningful communications. Inthis example “Tongass Bay Alaska Cruise August 2004” commemorates acruise ship's visit to a remote locale. Making one wall 23 or a portionof the packet 10 opaque facilitates the reading or deciphering of anymarking placed on the packet 10.

The gap 15 forms a fluid passage governing means that can, when actuatedby fluidic pressure originating from either chamber, stops fluidiccommunication between the chamber up to a moderate level of suchpressure. This governing means takes the form of a self-forming chokethat stops low level pressure pushing fluid 11 into the second chamber14 and destroying the weak film seal which could lead to substantialleakage and loss of fluid 11 after an initial usage. Under even slightpressure the gap's 15 design created by it small width defined by thetwo barrier 17 a/b ends resists fluid movement and builds pressure onthe flexible walls surrounding the gap 15 area. In FIG. 7 this reservoirpressure 61 distorts the packet walls 23 in the gap 15 and closes theopening 52 by lateral pressure 62 deforming in a crimping fashion theflexible nature of the polymeric material used to form the walls 23 ofthe packet. A choke valve 52 self-formed by pressure capable of movingthe fluid 11 through the choke area, the gap 15, restricts that sameflow. This restriction is sufficient to control unintended dischargesfrom the first chamber 12 into the second chamber 14 and out through theexit tear 22 that would create unexpected leakage and similarundesirable discharges. The choke can be opened in two ways to allowfluid passage into the second chamber 14 when intended and desirable.Simply by continuing to increase the pressure applied to the walls 23,it will eventually become possible to overcome the self-formed choke andfluid 11 will squirt into the second chamber 14. The pressure requiredcan be significantly high and possibly beyond the strength of someusers. A second and easier method of opening the choke 52 is shown inFIG. 8 where tension 63 applied to the notched 19 end of the secondchamber 14. By pulling on the packet 10 end where the tear 22 islocated, while holding and applying pressure to the first chamber 12reservoir of fluid 11, the deformed gap 15 area of the choke 52 isstraightened out 62 sufficient to allow the fluid 11 to pass into thesecond chamber 14 for eventual discharge through the tear 22 exit. Therelease of pressure or it dropping below a certain level either removesthe self-forming choke 52 or allows the choke 52 to reform, in eithercase fluid 11 flow is once again restricted.

Transparent walls 23 of the packet permit a number of novel advances inthe art of hand sanitizing fluid dispensers. With clear walls 23 itbecomes possible to visually inspect the quantity and location of thefluid 11 in the first 12 and second 14 chambers so proper manipulationis possible. The same clear walls 23 facilitate stripping the fluid fordispersement. Visual inspection for the quality of the fluid 11 is alsomade possible. Packet selection made by sight based on the color of thefluid 11 is now also possible, as can the same opportunity for choiceselection based on fluid 11 color indicating the inclusion of specificadditives or formulation with specific antimicrobial properties. Clearwalls 23 also permit inspection to determine the degree of completenesswhen kneading the fluid 11 is necessary to mix separated ingredients.

It should be noted that by design, materials are called upon to performmany different role, thus packaging is kept to a minimal amount toreduce ecological impacts, lower costs, and contribute to the packet'ssmall size. Fluid waste is also negligible by virtue that every drop canbe effectively stripped from the packet 10. Small bottles consume manytimes the packet's 10 packaging resources and are notoriously wastefulof the fluid left trapped inside. The packet 10 permits full extractionof hand sanitizing fluid 11 leading to a greater economy of usage.

EXAMPLE 2

Hand Sanitation Method

A disposable multi-dose packet of hand sanitizing fluid withself-sealing features that is unobtrusively carried in an easilyaccessible pocket would greatly contribute to the timely need tosanitize hands several times a day. Convenience of use and access arekey features. For example, follow this narrative of a typical use thatillustrates the promotion and subsequent attainment of effective handsanitation. A father takes his daughter to a fast-food restaurant forlunch while out shopping. He places their order at the counter, pays,receives change, and their food tray. They find a booth and sit down.Before digging in, the father quickly retrieves from his shirt pocket ahand sanitizing fluid packet he had opened earlier in the morning afterhandling many items at a popular flea market. He offers the packet endto his daughter who reaches out and strips a dose of hand sanitizingfluid into her cupped hand and rubs. He does the same and drops thepacket back into his packet without further ado. They now enjoy theirlunch with a sense of well being, knowing the risk of hand-bornepathogens has been addressed.

This scenario is useful for purposes other than a functionalillustration. The father may have bought the packet for his own and hisfamily's health benefit, or he may have obtained the packet at a mall asa promotional item when he bought a book, conducted a bank transaction,or picked up a prescription at his health clinic. Or perhaps it wasleftover from a recent air flight or vacation aboard a cruise ship. Itmight have been bought or distributed in a number of circumstancesincluding air travel, assemblages, barrooms, business dealings, checkoutcounters, conventions, cruise ships, disaster relief, educationalfacilities, elder care facilities, expeditions, financial institutions,food services, ground transportation, health clinics, hospitals,livestock events, lodgings, malls, manufacturing facilities, meetings,military installations, offices, parties, political gatherings,potlucks, prisons, promotional events, public events, public facilities,religious services, rest homes, schools, service counters, shops,sporting events, theaters, toilet facilities, zoos and other situations.Whatever its origin, the wide distribution has contributed to its usethis day, at this table, for their health benefit.

Various modes of carrying the packet are also useful in promoting andattaining hand sanitation. By placing hand sanitizing fluid packets incarrying devices other than pockets, the opportunities for a timelyreminder and access are improved. Placing a hand sanitizing fluid packetin a backpack, belt pack, briefcase, computer case, garment, lanyardattachment, lunchbox, lunch bag, notebook, purse, pocket, sports bag,toolbox, telephone carrier, or wristband increases the probability ofuse.

Perhaps the narrative of the father and daughter at lunch would be moretelling if instead of the father offering the packet to the daughter,the child offered a packet to the father. She picked up the habit inschool and was now sharing it, with justifiable pride, with her father.

EXAMPLE 3

Lottery and Gaming Promotion Method

Habit formation is initially based on repetitive action and a keyelement in making that repetitive action possible is availablecircumstances. For example, the habit of using a fork to eat is notlikely to develop if a fork is missing when food is served. The same istrue in developing the habit of using hand sanitizing fluid packets toregularly sanitizing hands; the packets must be available at all timesto form the habit of cleaning hands. Any and all techniques useful todistributing and having the user retain a hand sanitizing fluid packetis a major step toward developing a use habit simply because the packetis available in an opportune and timely manner.

One technique for promoting hand sanitation is to introduce lottery andgaming aspects so as to encourage the distribution and retention of handsanitizing fluid packets. In the following scenario a lottery encouragesand supports a significant health objective. A cruise ship's company isconcerned about an outbreak of the nasty gastrointestinal Norwalk flu;two other ships in the fleet have had so many cases whole trips havebeen cancelled to decontaminate the vessels. The owners, officers, andcrew can ill afford the staggering losses an outbreak would cause;passengers are understandable nervous about getting sick during a longplanned vacation. The ship's officers and crew have done and continue todo everything possible to keep the facilities germ-free, but they knowthe problem does not lie with the ship. It is with the passengers thatharbor the virus. When they came aboard from around the world, theybring with them a veritable menagerie of germs gathered from home andalong the way. When they take day trips ashore during the cruise theybring new ones aboard from these ports of call that have becomeliterally crossroads of world travel. To combat these continualinfectious assaults the ship has introduced hand sanitizing fluidpackets, and to encourage their distribution and retention hasinstituted a dining lottery. At each meal a hand sanitizing fluid packetis passed out or placed with the table setting. Each packet bears alottery number 23 as shown in FIG. 2 along with the ship's name andcompany logo. The winning numbers will be posted in the ship's paper thefollowing day for prizes of caps, shirts, and other items and servicesavailable on board. Every passengers will acquire, retain and hopefullyuse the packet when the benefits of use are properly and repeatedlyexplained. Making the packets so widely available through the lottery,and stressing the fact that everyone is in the same boat so to speakregarding public health, a significant reduction of hand-borne diseaseis a likely outcome.

Whether the motivation for acquiring the packet is to have a chance at alottery prize and then used for hand sanitation, or acquired the packetfor hand sanitation and kept them for a possible prize, the end resultsof distribution and retention are achieved. Gaming can also achieve thesame purpose. At lunch a group of men gather to open their lunch bagsand socialize. Included in the bags are hand sanitizing fluid packetswith a poker hand displayed as markings, each one different based on thestatistical spread of winning hands inherent to the game. The men engagein calling out real and fictional holdings to determine who buys thecold soft drinks or the like. The packets are also used to clean thehands in that they are literally already at hand. Endless gaming optionsare possible based on this simple technique, and all of which encourageand promote the distribution of hand sanitizing fluid packets which canlead to usage. Good public and private health habits are in our ownhands.

Throughout this specification various publications are referenced. Thedisclosures of these publications in their entireties are herebyincorporated by reference in order to more fully describe the state ofthe art to which the invention pertains. What has been illustrated anddescribed herein is an improvement in certain types of squeezablearticles of manufacture representative of fluid containers made offlexible polymeric material, specifically for dispensing hand sanitizingfluid for hand hygiene. Additionally, novel methods for employment anddistribution of such article types have been described and illustratedby way of functional examples. While these improvements have beenillustrated and described with reference to certain preferredembodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. Inparticular, the foregoing specification and embodiments are intended tobe illustrative and are not to be taken as limiting. Thus, alternatives,such as structural or mechanical or functional equivalent, and othermodifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art uponreading the foregoing description. Accordingly, such alternatives,changes, and modifications are to be considered as forming a part of thepresent invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

1. A method of hand sanitizing, comprising: A pocket packet containingmultiple doses of hand sanitizing fluid; said packet employs aself-sealing means to reseal said packet after a dose dispersement;dispensing by manipulation of said packet said dose of said fluid tohands harboring pathogens; and, rubbing hands to disperse said dose ofsaid hand sanitizing fluid to effectively reduce hand-borne pathogensthereon.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the material forming saidpacket is flexible polymeric material.
 3. The method of claim 2 whereinsaid material is sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of said fluidcontained within said packet to aid in said manipulation of said fluid.4. The method of claim 2 wherein said material is sufficientlytransparent to permit a visual determination of the quantity, location,quality, color, and/or other visible property of said fluid.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the amount of said sanitizing fluid containedin said packet is typically 2 to 8-milliliters.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein said manipulation is purposeful pressure and/or tension appliedto move and disperse said fluid.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein saidself-sealing means is a self-forming choke restricting fluid flow. 8.The method of claim 1 wherein said packet is carried in a backpack, beltpack, briefcase, computer case, garment, lanyard attachment, lunchbox,lunch bag, notebook, purse, pocket, sports bag, tool box, telephonecarrier, wrist band and combinations thereof.
 9. The method of claim 1wherein said packet is distributed in circumstances selected from agroup consisting of air travel, assemblages, barrooms, businessdealings, checkout counters, conventions, cruise ships, disaster relief,educational facilities, elder care facilities, expeditions, financialinstitutions, food services, ground transportation, health clinics,hospitals, livestock events, lodgings, malls, manufacturing facilities,meetings, military installations, offices, parties, politicalgatherings, potlucks, prisons, promotional events, public events, publicfacilities, religious services, rest homes, schools, service counters,shops, sporting events, theaters, toilet facilities, zoos, andcombinations thereof.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein said packetbears a promotional marking design to increase distribution and/orretention wherein said marking is selected from a group consisting ofaddresses, advertising messages, call numbers, codes, company names,event commemorations, event dates, decorative art, facility names,formulas, fortune predictions, gaming symbols, instructions, internetaddresses, logos, lottery numbers, lottery symbols, meaningfulcommunications, meaningful images, notations, promotional slogans,raffle numbers, schedules, trademarks, and combinations thereof.
 11. Themethod of claim 10 wherein at least one surface area and/or part of saidpacket is opaque to facilitate the reading or deciphering of saidmarking on said packet.
 12. A method of hand sanitizing, comprising: apocket packet containing multiple doses of hand sanitizing fluid; saidpacket employs a measuring means to select a dose of said fluid;dispensing by manipulation of said packet said dose of said fluid tohands harboring pathogens; and, rubbing hands to disperse said dose ofsaid hand sanitizing fluid to effectively reduce hand-borne pathogensthereon.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said measuring means arefirst and second chambers designed to select and dispense said dose. 14.The method of claim 12 wherein said packet is sufficiently transparentto allow viewing of said fluid contained within said packet to aid insaid manipulation of said fluid.
 15. A method of hand sanitizing,comprising: A pocket packet containing multiple doses of hand sanitizingfluid; said packet bears a mark to increases the opportunity of saidpacket being available to dispense a dose of said fluid when and whereneeded; dispensing by manipulation of said packet said dose of saidfluid to hands harboring pathogens; and, rubbing hands to disperse saiddose of said hand sanitizing fluid to effectively reduce hand-bornepathogens thereon.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein said mark isselected from a group consisting of addresses, advertising messages,call numbers, codes, company names, event commemorations, event dates,decorative art, facility names, formulas, fortune predictions, gamingsymbols, instructions, internet addresses, logos, lottery numbers,lottery symbols, meaningful communications, meaningful images,notations, promotional slogans, raffle numbers, schedules, trademarks,and combinations thereof.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein said packetis distributed in circumstances selected from a group consisting of airtravel, assemblages, barrooms, business dealings, checkout counters,conventions, cruise ships, disaster relief, educational facilities,elder care facilities, expeditions, financial institutions, foodservices, ground transportation, health clinics, hospitals, livestockevents, lodgings, malls, manufacturing facilities, meetings, militaryinstallations, offices, parties, political gatherings, potlucks,prisons, promotional events, public events, public facilities, religiousservices, rest homes, schools, service counters, shops, sporting events,theaters, toilet facilities, zoos, and combinations thereof.
 18. Themethod of claim 15 wherein said packet is carried in a backpack, beltpack, briefcase, computer case, garment, lanyard attachment, lunchbox,lunch bag, notebook, purse, pocket, sports bag, tool box, telephonecarrier, wrist band and combinations thereof.